K. Lindley Dodson, M.D., was a beloved pediatrician, an educator, a friend to many and a wife and mother of three. An assistant professor in the Dell Medical School Department of Pediatrics, she was the victim of a tragic and senseless killing on Jan. 26 in Austin. She was 43.
Meena Iyer, M.D., a close friend and a colleague in the Department of Pediatrics, remembers her as a “caring and brilliant doctor who lived life to the fullest.”
“She was a great friend and was beautiful both inside and out,” Iyer says. “She always ensured that her patients were well taken care of and made sure that no stone was unturned in their care. She was an excellent teacher and mentor and has helped groom several amazing pediatricians across the country.”
A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Dodson attended Washington and Lee University for undergraduate school and LSU in New Orleans for medical school. She then completed her residency at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee.
Following residency, she spent time as an urgent care physician at Children’s Hospital Boston and served as a Harvard Medical School instructor. She then spent her first 10 years in Austin as an attending physician at Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas, where she was honored as Pediatric Faculty Member of the Year in 2012 and 2017.
In a statement, Dell Medical School Dean Clay Johnston, M.D., Ph.D., remembers her as “our colleague and our friend, and much more to her family and others who loved her, including the thousands of children and families across our community whose lives she touched as a beloved pediatrician.”
“It is so important that we honor Lindley and the impact that she and her work as a physician had on so many of us,” he continues. “Her exquisite focus on caring — so evident in our remembrances of her — is a guiding light as we support each other in this challenging time.”
As a passionate and consummate advocate for children, she was most recently a pediatrician at Children’s Medical Group, where she joyfully cared for her patients.
“Her infectious laughter, genuine smile and charismatic personality brightened everyone’s day,” Iyer says. “I will truly miss her.”
Memorials
In lieu of flowers, the Dodson family has asked that donations be made to The Lindley Dodson Education Foundation, The Dr. Lindley Dodson Endowment for Pediatric Care at Dell Children’s Medical Center or St. Austin Catholic Parish in Austin.